Look out for bogus ads on Facebook!

Look out for bogus ads on Facebook!

Be wary of video adverts across Facebook that are resulting in malicious polymorphic attacks!

Adverts appearing on Facebook enticing you to watch a video can lead to a web page that looks similar to Facebook asking you to download a browser extension (plug-in) to watch a video. If you click the download button to install the extension, the page presents alert messages prompting you to disable your anti-virus software in order to allow the extension to install. It hopes by tricking you in to following this step, that you will then enable a download of a malicious program that then takes control of your computer.

Once installed on your computer, the malicious program communicates with a remote server informing it that it’s been installed and begins to download other malicious programs to your machine too. A polymorphic attack occurs when the program begins to replicate itself using different code and structures to disguise itself from security software, even although the main algorithm of the program stays the same to achieve its malicious task.

Remember – legitimate browser extensions won’t ask you to disable your anti-virus software and if a new browser window opens, check the address bar appears genuine for the site you’re viewing and look for any alerts that your browser gives you, such as phishing alerts. Most importantly, make sure your anti-virus and spyware software are regularly kept up-to-date with the latest definitions!